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For the first time I'm growing these in my little plot, with limited success, but the biggest fruit (it's always the biggest >:( about a foot long and six inches in diameter) had an accident last weekend, the support snapped and the squash parted company with the parent plant. Can I expect it to ripen if just left outside ... should I (can I) cook it and eat it now ... or should I consign it to the compost  :(

vegetable spaghettis are more like courgettes than winter squash - you just eat them as and when. You're one is a nice size, so eat it :)

I grew these a good fcew years ago now and found that they're pretty much useable all the way up the size range. That's quite a big one (though they will get a bit bigger than that sometimes) so I'd say go for it.

BTW, find a recipe for marrow and ginger jam and try it with vegetable spaghetti.... comes out like ginger marmalade....

chrisc

 It is not one I would suggest for trying to keep for very long anyway , I would watch it, check the stem part very regularly, it may keep a while but my advice frankly is to use it.Definatley don't chuck it, you certainly can eat it now XX Jeannine

Quote from: Jeannine on August 07, 2010, 10:30:22
It is not one I would suggest for trying to keep for very long anyway , I would watch it, check the stem part very regularly, it may keep a while but my advice frankly is to use it.Definatley don't chuck it, you certainly can eat it now XX Jeannine

Mine have kept for months after picking - picked september and still ok in June. In fact I have one in the pantry from last year still and its sound!

I grew Hasta la Pasta last year and found that they will keep for many months, provided that they are hardened off. They are proving to be the most prolific of my Winter squash this year.

Very many thanks for the answers  :) ... I cut it in half lengthways, scooped out the seeds and popped half of it in the microwave for as long as it needed (the microwave is over 30 years old and only 400w when it was new ... it takes it's time  ;) )

The result was a perfectly acceptable "spaghetti substitute" which went very well with a portion of my "general purpose vegetable sauce". The rest of it is in the 'fridge and will be eaten in a day or two ... and no, I haven't thrown the seeds away, I'll experiment with those as well.

Your seeds may not be viable if the squash didn't reach maturity, but dry and try is the answer.
XX Jeannine

Jeannine, thanks for the thought ... I was actually thinking of toasting these seeds ... I've still got some of the originals in the packet ... but I probably will save seeds from one of the larger squashes that fully ripen. I appear to have two slightly different varieties, the one giving much larger fruit than the other two, though none of the plants have more than two fruit, the only flowers that seem to be opening now are all male  :(